KATHMANDU, June 17: Former Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) brigade commander and central committee member Govinda Bahadur Batala has surrendered before the Supreme Court (SC) after being sentenced to 10 years in prison in a murder case.
Batala was convicted of killing businessman Ramhari Shrestha and had been ordered to serve a 10-year prison term following a recent SC ruling.
He appeared voluntarily at the SC on Wednesday and surrendered himself. Court officials confirmed that he was handed over to the police and subsequently sent to prison to serve his sentence.
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The SC’s full bench had recently overturned an earlier acquittal and imposed the 10-year sentence following a government review petition. A previous verdict had cleared him of charges, but the state later sought a review, which led to the conviction being reinstated.
The case relates to the 2008 incident in which Shrestha was allegedly taken from Koteshwor and later brought to a Maoist cantonment in Chitwan, where he died following alleged assault. His body was later found near the Narayani riverbank.
Bhatala had earlier admitted his involvement in transporting Shrestha.
Following his voluntary surrender, legal provisions allow him certain benefits including partial remission of penalties.
